Censer.



No. 721,133. PATENTED FEB. 24, 1903 B. w. AHNE. GENSER.

' APPLICATION FILED MAY 1902. N0 MODEL.

mazs mmmnnf UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

BERNARD WILLIAM AHNE, OF MOUNT HOPE, NEW JERSEY.

CENSER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 721,133, dated February 24, 1903.

Application filed May 3, 1902. Serial No. 105,828. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, BERNARD WILLIAM AHNE, a citizen of the United States, residing at Mount Hope, in the county of Morris and State of New Jersey, have invented a new and useful Genser, of which 'the following is a specification.

This invention is an improved censer for burning incense.

Heretofore censers have been constructed of two separable sections-namely, the lower or bowl section for carrying the coals and the perforated or reticulated upper section or cover, adapted to rest upon the lower section when in use, said upper section sliding upon the suspending-chains and operated by another chain. In operating a censer constructed in this manner it frequently happens that the chains become entangled, thereby causing considerable delay, and, furthermore, it has frequently happened that the upper sec- ;tion or top has become accidentally raised, permitting the coals to escape and causing considerable damage.

It is therefore my object to provideacenser which shall be free from these defects and also one which can be manipulated at all times with greater ease and facility than the censer nowin use.

With these various objects in view my invention consists, essentially, in providing a censer comprising a case adapted to hold a pan or other receptacle adapted to receive the coals, said case having a door which is normally closed, but which can be readily opened whenever it is desired to obtain access to the interior of the case, either for the purpose of inserting or removing the coals or for the purpose of placing incense upon the coals.

The invention also comprehends the employment of a shield or screen in connection with the coal-carrying pan for the purpose of preventing coals becoming misplaced, said shield? or screen being operatively connected with the door of the casingfso that when the said door is opened the shield will be raised and said shield lowered when the door is closed.

The invention consists also in certain other features of novelty, combination, and arrangement, all of which will be fully described hereinafter, and pointed out in the claims.

In the drawings forming a part of this specification, Figure 1 is a perspective View of a censer constructed in accordance with my invention. Fig. 2 is a vertical sectional view, the dotted lines indicating the positions the various parts assume when the door is opened. Fig. 3 is a View illustrating the' interior of the censer, the cover or upper section being, removed, the door being shown in section, the coal-pan removed, and a portion of the shield or screen broken away to more clearly illustrate the support of the coal-pan. Fig. 4 is a section taken on the line 4 4 of Fig. 2. Fig. 5 is an inverted plan View of the base. Fig. 6 is a detail perspective view showing the rack and swinging yoke to which the door is connected. Fig. 7 is adetail perspective view illustrating the rack-bar for operating the door. Fig.8 is a detail perspective view showing the means of raising and lowering the shield or screen simultaneously with the opening and closingof the door. Fig. 9 is a detail perspective view of the coal pan or receptacle. Fig. 10 is a detail view of construction.

In carrying out my invention I employ a casing comprising a base portion A, bowl portion B, and the cover portion C, the base and bowl portion being preferably formed integral, while the cover or upper section is connected to the said bowl portion in any suitable manner. Chains D are connected to the censer, preferably at the point where the cover and bowl portions are united, said chains being connected to the ring D in the usual manner, and it will be noted that only three chains are employed, and, furthermore, that the only purpose of these chains is to suspend and swing the censer, and it is therefore immaterial whether or not they become entangled.

This censer allows any ornament E, such as a figure of a saint, to be placed on the top of the cover, while heretofore an ornament for example, a cross-only served as a connecting link between the top and the middle chain.

Within the bowl B is arranged a support F, in which rests the coal-pan or other receptacle G, the front side of which has a lip G, slotted at G to receive a lifter or other device, by means of which the said pan or receptacle can be readily inserted into or removed from the casing. About one-third of the cover O is cut away to provide an opening, whereby access is had to the interior of the casing for the purpose ofintroducing and removing the coals and also for the purpose of inserting the incense, said opening being normally closed by means of a door H, and inasmuch as the said door forms a third part of the cover it can be ornamented in substantially the same manner as the remaining portion of the cover, it being understood, of course, that the bowl portion of the casing is imperforate, While the cover or upper portion is perforate or reticulated for the purpose of enabling the incense-vapors to escape and pass upwardly. The lower end of the door has a curved rack-bar I rigidly connected thereto, said bar I being connected at its rear end to the central portion of a yoke K, the ends of which are pivoted upon pintles L, which extend inwardly from the sides of the casing, said pintles being preferably arranged at the juncture of the bowl and cover sections of the casing, as most clearly shown in Figs. 2, 3, and 4. A coiled spring M surrounds each piutle, the free ends bearing against the yoke in such manner that the said springs normally hold the yoke in a vertical position, and when the said yoke is held in this position the door is held closed by means of the rack bar I, as most clearly shown in Fig. 2. A rack-bar N meshes with the bar I for the purpose of opening the door of the casing, said rack-bar N being arranged within the base, as most clearly shown in Fig. 2, and is connected to a plate 0, which virtually forms one-half of the bottom of the casing, said plate being pivoted upon a rod 0, passing transversely through the base, and the said bottom carries a spring-actuated bolt or latch 0 which is adapted to engage the underside of the projection 0 and thereby securely lock the said plate, and consequently the rackbar N. When it is desired to open the door, spring-actuated bolt 0 is pressed rearwardly, disengaging it from the projection 0 and then by a slight upward pressure upon the plate the rack-bar N is forced rearwardly, as indicated in dotted lines, and meshes with the rack-bar I. The said barIis also moved rearwardly, as indicated in dotted lines, and the door H is drawn downwardly, completely opening a third portion of the cover of the casing and aifording convenient access to the interior of the casing. The lower end of the rack-bar N is weighted, as shown at N, and the stop N is arranged upon the opposite side of the base and against which the free end of the rack-bar N strikes when the door is fully opened, the purpose of said stop being to prevent the rack-bar N being pushed too far rearwardly, and the weighted portion N is arranged to maintain the center of gravity upon the front side of the central line of the casing, so that the moment the pressure of the hand is relieved from the plate 0 all of the parts will resume their normal or closed positions. As before stated, the coal pan or receptacle G rests upon the support F, arranged within the casing,and is provided with a slotted lip, so that it can be quickly and easily inserted or removed from the easing, the said pan being introduced or removed through the opening, as just described, and for the purpose of holding the said door open while the said pan is being inserted or removed I employ a pivoted catch P, which is pivoted at any suitable point upon the exterior of the casing, so that the said catch can be turned across the upper edge of the door, thereby holding the said door in an open position when such is required for putting in or taking out the coal-pan.

In order to hold the coals within the pan and prevent any possible displacement thereof, I employ a shield or screen Q, which is pivoted at Q, to a bracket Q extending inwardly from the rear side of the casing, as most clearly shown in Figs. 2 and 3, said shield or screen being constructed in any suitable manner and of a size to fit the pan G. The pan and screen herein shown are intended for the fiat charcoal; but it will of course be understood that the lump charcoal may be employed, and, if desired, the pan G can be made tapered and the screen Q can be slightly arched for the purpose of accommodating the lump charcoal. In order to raise the screen or shield when the door is opened and lower the same when the door is closed, I employ the arms R, which are connected to the yoke K at each side at a point directly below the side edges of the shield or screen, said arms being bent back upon themselves at their upper ends over guide-rods R, connected to the screen at the opposite sides and carrying a roller R the roller being arranged upon the under side of the guiderod, as most clearly shown. The arms R project rearwardly from the yoke K toward the pivot Q of the shield or screen, and it is obvious that as the door is opened and the yoke K caused to swing rearwardly the arms, acting upon the guide-rods R through the medium of the rollers R will cause the said shield or screen to be elevated, thereby exposing the coals so that the incense can be placed thereon. When the door is closed, the yoke K resumes its normal or vertical position, and in doing so the screen or shield is again drawn down, thereby protecting the coals within the pan and preventing any possible dislocation. In order to prevent any of the incense falling between the door and pan, I provide the door with an inwardly-projecting lip S, which is cut away slightly at S to accommodate the forwardlyprojecting lip G upon the pan. In case, however, any'incense should fall outside of the pan it can be recovered from the casing by providing a sliding door T in the bottom of the casing, as most clearly shown in Figs. 2 and 5.

The base is preferably perforated, as shown at A, to permit the escape of heat and prevent the base or casing becoming heated; but it will be distinctly understood that the perforations in the base are so located that none of the incense vapors will escape therethrough, it being further understood that the bowl is imperforate and the cover or upper portion only perforated or reticulated for the purpose of permitting the escape of the incense-vapors.

It will thus be seen that I entirely dispense with the fourth chain now in use for the purpose of raising the upper section of the censer, and by providing an opening and avoiding the raising of the upper section of the censer it is immaterial whether the suspending-chains are straight or entangled. Furthermore, I provide a censer in which the pan containing the coals can be quickly and easily inserted and removed without the slightest danger or inconvenience, and I also provide a censer in which the incense can be safely placed upon the coals and one in which all danger of the coals escaping therefrom is entirely avoided.

Having thus fully described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States, is-

1. A censer comprising a casing having a door adapted to be opened or closed, a coalpan arranged within the censer, a shield or screen arranged above said pan and means for raising and lowering the shield or screen simultaneously with the opening and closing of the door, substantially as described.

2. A censer comprising a casing having a support arranged therein, a shield or screen arranged above said support, a sliding door adapted to slide within the casing when opened, and means connected with the door for raising and lowering the shield or screen,

as specified.

3. A censer comprising a casing and having a sliding door, said door being adapted to slide within the casing when opened, means for opening the said door together with springact-uated mechanism for returning the said door to its normal or closed position, as specified.

4. A censer comprising a casing having a support arranged therein, a door adapted to slide within the casing when opened, a shield or screen arranged above the support, the rack-bar connected to the door, a second rackbar arranged within the casing and adapted to operate upon the rack-bar connected to the door for the purpose of opening the said door, substantially as specified.

5. In acenser the combination with the casing having an opening in the cover, of a door adapted to normally close the said opening, said door being adapted to slide within the casing when opened, the rack-bar connected to the door, the yoke to which the rack-bar is connected, the spring bearing upon the said yoke, and a second rack-bar meshing with the first-mentioned rack-bar for the purpose specified.

6. In a censer, the combination with the casing having an inwardly-sliding door, of the support arranged within the casing, a shieldor screen arranged above the support, the swinging yoke, the arms attached to the yoke and operatively connected to the shield or screen, the rack-bar connected to the yoke and also to the door, and an operating rackbar arranged within the lower portion of the casing and adapted to mesh with the firstmentionedrack bar, substantially as described.

7. A censer comprising in combination a casing having an opening in the upper portion thereof, a door for normally closing said opening, a support arranged within the lower' portion of the casing, a coal-pan adapted to rest thereon, a screen pivoted within the easing and adapted to rest upon the top of the pan, means for opening and closing the door and simultaneously raising and lowering the shield or screen together with means for looking the door in an open or closed position, substantially as described.

BERNARD WILLIAM AHNE.

Witnesses:

THOMAS C. GRIFFIN, HARRY L. S0HWARZ. 

